Russian Fasting Traditions

What exactly does it mean for an Orthodox believer to fast? The physical aspect of fasting is that one must abstain from using animal food products – butter, cheese, milk, sour cream, and even fish (unless specifically allowed). On fast days, the Orthodox are only supposed to eat dried or fresh fruit, bread and vegetables.

But, most importantly, Orthodox believers must spiritually observe the fast and think pure thoughts: chase away lust, envy, greed and open their minds to mercy, self-abnegation and other virtues. For, as Archpriest Father Alexander Shmemann wrote: “fasting as a physical abstention from food is completely pointless without the... spiritual part. ...Without a corresponding spiritual effort, without strengthening oneself by God’s reality, without realizing one’s complete dependence on God, a physical fasting would amount to suicide. We fast for God’s sake. We must feel His presence in our body... His temple. Therefore, we must respect religiously our body, our food and our way of life.”

The Russian Orthodox calendar contains four significant fasts, the longest of which is Lent (Veliky Post), lasting for 7 weeks. Lent precedes Easter, the major Orthodox feat. Easter has no fixed date, but depends on the first new moon of the vernal equinox, as well as a 35-day time limit within which it is celebrated – between April 4 and May 8. This year it falls on April 27. Thus, the dates of Lent vary as well: in 1997 it begins on March 10.

The second fast – Uspensky – the Fast of the Assumption is as demanding as Lent, but much shorter. Falling between the 14th and 28th of August, Uspensky lasts just two weeks. Orthodox believers observe this fast in the honor of the Assumption of the Virgin (August 28).

The third fast is the Christmas fast or Filipovsky, beginning on St. Philip’s Day, so named in honor of Apostle Philip. This fast is less rigorous than the others, as believers are allowed to eat fish. It lasts for 40 days – from November 28 until January 7, Russian Orthodox Christmas.

The final fast – Petrovsky – is probably the most flexible of all. Beginning eight weeks after Easter, it can last from one to six weeks, and worshippers are allowed to eat fish – (except for Wednesdays and Fridays). This fast is called Petrovsky in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul, whose day is celebrated on July 12 – when the Petrovsky fast ends.

There are also several one-day fasts: e.g. September 11, in honor of John the Baptist, and September 27: the raising of the Savior’s Cross.

Apart from those dates, believers regularly observe fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays, in honor of Christ’s mortification.

Besides their religious significance, fasts have strong roots in pagan and folk tradition, and are tightly connected with the Russian peasant’s rhythm of life and work, in it’s dependence on the seasons.

The duration and timing of fasting periods coincides with the time of the year when farmers must stop working in the fields, when last year’s food supplies are nearing their end, and when the new crop is still down the road. One must be economical at this time of the year in order to afford healthy food during the time of field-labor. Thus, a prudent Russian peasant would tighten his belt in March and April and, with the approach of the vernal equinox (the pagan holiday in honor of the Sun), he would prepare himself for upcoming work in the fields. As a matter of fact, all Orthodox fast days are based on early pagan worship traditions, and, for that reason, are all quite rational.

Items in Brief

The Ancient Latins named the third month of the year, March, in honor of the god of war, Mars. The Byzantine Empire, in turn, retained the name, passing it on to Russia. In old Russia, however, the month’s name depended on what region you came from. Northerners called the month sukhy (dry), bringing to mind spring warmth and healing winds, after the brutal Russian winter. In the south, March was originally called berezozol, a derivation of the Russian word for ‘birches,’ Russia’s national tree, which bursts into life every spring.

Photos from Great Encyclopedia of Russia.

For devout Christians, March is the time of the Great Fast, or Lent (March 10 - April 26), a season of physical and spiritual cleansing, in preparation for the holiest Orthodox holiday of the year, Easter Sunday.

Besides this important religious event, March is also full of memorable dates, occurrences and people who enriched Russia’s history and culture.

To begin on a tragic note, March 4, 1852 is the 145th anniversary of the death of Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). Born in Ukraine and author of such masterpieces as The Inspector General, The Overcoat and Dead Souls, Gogol came to St. Petersburg as a young man, hoping to make his name as a writer. Little did he imagine what literary glories and scandals lay ahead of him. He died at the age of 43, tormented by doctors, insane with morbid fears and hallucinatory visions, having burnt his unpublished works.

Eighty years ago, the Romanov dynasty came to an end and Russia’s tumultuous events of 1917 were just beginning. Having repeatedly ignored impassioned pleas from advisors to act to quell demonstrations and institute a constitutional monarchy, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the Russian throne on March 14 (new style). The Romanovs had ruled Russia for 304 years.

Events had been set in motion when, on March 5 (February 26, old style), Russian troops in the capital of Petrograd went over to the side of demonstrating workers and fired on police. Seven months of weak rule by successive Dumas ensued before the fateful November 7 revolution (October 25, old style).

Two hundred and sixty years ago, on March 12th, 1737, the architect and founder of Russian classicism, Vassily Bazhenov, was born. Bazhenov’s (1737-1799) most famous creation is the Pashkov House in Moscow, more commonly known as the prestigious Russian State (formerly Lenin) Library. Bazhenov also attempted to landscape the Tsar’s palace, Tsaritsino, in St. Petersburg, but was forced to discontinue, due to Empress Catherine II’s displeasure with what she saw.

One hundred and thirty years ago, on March 18th, 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the US for $7.2 million dollars, or for two cents per acre. At the time, most members of Congress considered it a raw deal: the land wasn’t thought to be worth it. Only Secretary of State William Steward foresaw Alaska’s great possibilities, and, with the help of Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, the Russian envoy, strove to make that dream a reality.

Two hundred and fifteen years ago, on March 24, the Russian painter Orest Kiprensky (1782-1836), famous the world over for his singular portrait of A. S. Pushkin, was born.

Sergei Dyagilev, creator of the ground-breaking ballet troupe ‘Ballet Russe’, was born 125 years ago on March 31, 1872. Dyagilev (1872-1929), an outstanding figure in the international world of theater and the arts, emigrated to Paris in 1907. He remained in France the rest of his life, organizing expositions of Russian art and music, as well as touring with his dancers.

Last but not least, Kornei Chukovsky, real name Nikolai Korneichukov, was the Russian equivalent of Dr. Seuss. His beloved children’s books, full of infectious rhymes and whimsical creatures, are continually re-discovered by successive generations of Russian children. Chukovsky (1882-1969), also a talented translator and critic, was born 115 years ago on March 31, 1882.